Greenville Carnegie Library facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Carnegie Library and Henry St. Clair Memorial Hall
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Front of the library
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 Location in Ohio
Location in the United States
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| Location | 520 Sycamore St. and W. 4th St., Greenville, Ohio |
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| Area | 4 acres (1.6 ha) |
| Built | 1901 |
| Architect | William S. Kaufman; Howard & Morrison |
| NRHP reference No. | 80002986 |
| Added to NRHP | November 26, 1980 |
The Greenville Carnegie Library is a special old library in Greenville, Ohio, United States. It's a type of library called a Carnegie library. These libraries were built with money from a famous rich man named Andrew Carnegie. This library and a school building next to it are important historic places. They are known for their beautiful and unique design.
Contents
How the Library Started
In 1888, a man named F. Gillum Cromer became the head of the schools in Greenville. He wanted to create a library for the students in the city.
The money for the library came mostly from the children themselves! They put on shows and performances on Washington's Birthday. The money they earned helped buy books and keep the library running.
As the library grew, people decided it should be bigger. They also wanted to open it up for everyone in the city to use, not just students. From 1892 to 1901, the library was in the basement of a store on Fifth Street.
Building the Library
In the spring of 1901, the city's school board asked Andrew Carnegie for money. He was a very rich businessman who helped build many libraries. Carnegie offered $15,000 if the city promised to spend $1,500 each year to support the library.
The board looked at the library system in Pittsburgh and talked to its main librarian. They then asked Carnegie for more money, $25,000, and promised to spend $2,500 annually. Carnegie agreed to this new offer.
The board started looking at building plans. They found out the building they wanted would cost almost $30,000. So, they decided to change the plans to make it cheaper.
However, a well-known local businessman named Henry St. Clair heard about this. He asked them to keep the original, more expensive plans. He promised to pay for the extra costs himself!
With Henry St. Clair's help, the library's first stone, called the cornerstone, was placed on October 30, 1901. The building was finished on March 19, 1903. The total cost was $31,177.50.
Library Design
The Carnegie Library is a rectangular building. It is about 90 feet (27 meters) long and 70 feet (21 meters) wide. It has two stories.
The walls are made of brick and decorated with a type of stone called oolite. The building sits on a strong foundation made of Bedford limestone. The roof is covered with red tiles.
Inside, the floors have beautiful frescoes (wall paintings) and mosaics (pictures made from small pieces). Many stained glass windows let light shine into the rooms. There are also nice marble-finished restrooms on both floors for visitors. When it was first built, the library also had statues and fancy wooden panels.
Henry St. Clair Memorial Hall
Henry St. Clair, the businessman who helped fund the library, passed away on October 7, 1908. In his will, he left a lot of money to the city. He gave $100,000 to the city's school board. This money was for building and taking care of a large hall for the city schools to use.
The school board decided to build this new hall right next to the Carnegie library. An older high school building was already in that spot. So, in the summer of 1909, the entire high school building was moved a short distance south!
Work on the new hall started in the spring of 1910. The cornerstone was laid on June 30. Many people came to the ceremony. A speaker from the Grand Lodge of Ohio gave a speech. Leading families from Darke County played patriotic music.
The building took a long time to finish. It was finally opened on May 3, 1912. It was named "Henry St. Clair Memorial Hall" in his honor. Building the hall and moving the high school cost $135,000. Henry St. Clair's wife paid the school board for these extra costs.
The finished hall looks similar to the library, with brick and stone. It has a large auditorium (a big room for performances) and many classrooms for students. After it was built, the hall was also used by the community. People held political meetings, religious gatherings, and educational events called Chautauquas there.
Historic Recognition
In 1980, both the library and the memorial hall were added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means they are recognized as important historic buildings because of their special architecture. About 4 acres (1.6 hectares) of land around the buildings were also included. Much of this land is part of a park that was created when the old high school was moved.
